In 1982, the Port of Vancouver USA obtained a piece of land on the edge of the Fruit Valley Neighborhood. The port, after all, exists to provide economic benefit for its community, and expanding its footprint would provide new opportunities.

However, this property had an industrial history that was not disclosed prior to the port acquiring the site. From 1956 to 1964 solvents were used to clean metal in a manufacturing process that occurred there. The chemicals may have been effective for cleaning, but they also had a profoundly detrimental effect on the environment, leaching into the soil and water below.

Even though these weren’t port-generated activities that caused the contamination at this property, the port assumed responsibility for the cleanup. The contamination under this property combined with other nearby sources of historical solvent contamination which expanded and complicated cleanup efforts. That effort has spanned decades and has required extensive time and resources from the port.

The map above displays the extent of the large solvent contamination plume that existed underneath port property and a portion of the Fruit Valley Neighborhood from historical releases. As the 2013 and 2023 images show, following a series of aggressive cleanup actions, the plume has been reduced considerably.

 

 

In 2024, the picture has brightened considerably, and the port was able to celebrate a major milestone in this journey to treat billions of gallons of groundwater and clean up the soil. Along with multiple other cleanup actions, the port had installed a “pump and treat” system in 2009 that consisted of a massive well, buildings for the pump system and other infrastructure to clean (pump and treat) contaminated groundwater.

The cleanup has been deemed so successful by Washington’s Department of Ecology – the area of the contamination plume has been reduced by 95% — that in 2023 it was determined the pump and treat system could be turned off.

In total, after steadily pumping and treating for 15 years, the port-led pump and treat system extracted and treated 15.7 billion gallons of groundwater, which removed more than 1,300 pounds of contaminants. The other cleanup activities included excavating 14,000 cubic yards of soil, sampling contamination levels in hundreds of locations throughout the area and installing specialized treatment equipment at some private homes.

“This massive cleanup effort is a testament to the unique role ports can play in successfully tackling big environmental challenges and making things better than they found them,” said Mary Mattix, the port’s Director of Environmental Services.

The pump and treat system that cleaned more than 15 billion gallons of groundwater is transitioned into “ready reserve” status in case it’s needed again, though the port hopes it remains in retirement for good, indicating a successful long-term cleanup.

The pump and treat system remains quiet since it was shut off in August of 2024. The system will stay in ready reserve status, meaning it can be reassembled and switched back on if needed. Regular monitoring of the groundwater carried out by environmental experts will continue to ensure that contamination levels remain in compliance.

“The port’s elected commissions should be credited for maintaining this cleanup as a priority over many, many years. Some staff members here spent entire port careers working on this effort. The state’s Department of Ecology, multiple environmental expert consultants, tenants, municipal partners and others have also been excellent partners,” said Mattix.

“While the port took the lead in this cleanup, it truly took a village to get us here.”